Bad Seed (Jubilee, Kentucky #5)

Chapter 15

The storm that began on the mountain swept down through the valley, thoroughly drenching Jubilee’s nightlife. When the power went out in the area nearest the music venues, they were forced to shut down for the night.

The hospital was running on generator power, and the police department was on high alert for the possibility of thefts and flooding in the low-lying areas. Josie Fallin was tucked in tight in her tour bus with her brother, Alex, and her assistant, Trinity, and the men in her band were in the bus parked beside them.

Wolfgang Outen was on the phone in his suite. He’d already alerted Amalie to the fact that he was in town and would see her tomorrow, and was on the phone now talking to Ray Caldwell.

“Yes, the hotel tour went great. Liz had all the answers I needed,” Wolf said. “I spoke at length with Harley Banks. I understand she’d finished your audit, so I’m assuming you’ve had time to look at the figures.”

“Yes. I am going to sell the inn, and I have a figure in mind.”

“I’m listening,” Wolf said.

Ray told him what the asking price was going to be, and Wolf didn’t hesitate. “The price is acceptable. I want it. I want to live close to my daughter and watch my grandchildren grow up.”

Ray was beaming. “Then I accept your offer. I’ll have my lawyers draw up the papers, but I’m giving you a heads-up. Even before you take possession, you’ll be without a manager.”

“I don’t need a manager. I’ll be living on-site. And I offered Harley Banks the job as my global finance manager. If she accepts, I’m moving my main office to the floor just below the penthouse level and she’ll be there full-time.”

“How is this going to play out with Hotel Devon? I know you’re an investor.”

“I’ll have to relinquish my seat on the board and step away, and now that the inn will be mine, I’ll be informing them of that fact.”

“Good enough,” Ray said. “I know this is a little unorthodox, but you and I have been friends for a long time, and I honor your word. If you want, I’ll agree to you moving into the penthouse to take over management even before the paperwork has been finalized.”

“Really? But what about your manager? What’s his timeline for leaving?”

“Whenever the feds show up to take him into custody, which should be any day now.”

Wolf burst out laughing. “Okay…so it’s like that, then. No problem, my friend. I know nothing until I hear from you, and then I’ll make sure the hotel is secure for you until we sign the sale papers.”

“That’s a load off my mind,” Ray said. “And I know I can rely on your integrity to keep this between us.”

Wolf was still grinning when he disconnected. Apparently, Harley Banks found a skunk in Ray’s woodpile. He couldn’t wait to get that woman into his organization and set her to ferreting out the employees who were cheating his system. He knew they were there. He just had too many irons in the fire to find them on his own.

There was a knock at the connecting door to the adjoining suite where his personal security team was sleeping.

“Come in.”

Joe stood in the doorway. “Tex is taking the night shift in the lobby. Rafer and I are up here with you.”

“Thanks. Did you eat?”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Get some rest. Full day tomorrow, and then a flight back.”

“Yes, Boss,” Joe said, and shut the door.

Wolf scrolled through his contact list and then called Michael Devon.

Michael was in the bedroom watching television, and Liz was in the shower when his cell phone rang. He started to let it go to voicemail and then saw who was calling and quickly answered. “Wolf, you’re working late tonight,” he said.

Wolf chuckled. “Aren’t I always? Listen, I need to update you on some business moves I’m about to make. Ray Caldwell is selling the inn, and I bought it. Paperwork yet to be finalized, but it’s happening.”

“Oh wow!” Michael said.

“I know, which is why I’m calling you. I’m relinquishing my seat as an investor for Hotel Devon and stepping out. This isn’t just business. It’s personal. Amalie is pregnant with twins. I’m going to be a grandfather, and I’ll be moving my headquarters here so I can watch them grow up. I lost every bit of that joy with Amalie, and I’m not letting her down again.”

Michael sighed. “We’ll be sorry to lose you, but I understand. Family should always come first in our lives. And it’s actually a relief for me to know that Liz’s new boss will be someone I trust. She loves working there and has been worried about Ray and what might happen to the hotel if he sells. This is good news. However, I’m going to leave that news for Ray to share with her, and I’ll let Dad know about your decision tomorrow.”

“Good enough, and my best to Marshall as well.”

“Of course,” Michael said, and hung up. When he heard Liz turning off the water, he upped the volume on the TV.

***

Harley finished all of her messaging and transferring files just before the storm hit. She’d seen the gathering clouds and had already heard the rumble of thunder, but when the vicious blast of wind and rain finally slammed into the sliders, it made her jump, and then she went to look out. The sky was black and streaked with intermittent lightning, and the deck was awash in rain.

“Oh my lord! My heart’s still pounding. I wasn’t prepared for that.”

Brendan walked up behind her, then pulled her close. “We’re good, honey. All bark and, except for rain, no bite. I already checked the weather. It’s above freezing, so except for minor flooding of a few streets, we should be okay.”

She leaned against him, listening to the deep rumble of his voice as she fingered the medal around her neck and then turned in his arms.

“Something you said after the shooting has been bothering me. How you said you let me down because you weren’t here to protect me when I needed you, that you’d been baking bread when it happened. I didn’t think that then, and I don’t think that now, and I don’t want you to feel like that. Ever. And then today, I kept wondering how a professional hit man could miss at such close range, and that’s when it hit me. I was wearing the St. Michael medal you gave me when it happened. And I will believe for the rest of my life that you did save me when you gave that to me, and that when I needed help most, I was protected.”

The emotional impact of those words left him speechless. He shook his head in disbelief, slid his hands up the sides of her neck and then to her face, and kissed her. Slowly. Softly. While a storm of their own began to build.

“Ah, Brendan…how I love you. Make love to—”

“Already on it, Sunshine,” he said, and picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, undressed her, and then himself.

Outside, the psychedelic flashes of lightning were so close and so bright that each flash painted a graffiti-like image of itself upon the walls and onto their naked bodies.

Harley was lost somewhere within the pounding blood rush of her body, holding on to Brendan to keep from flying away. From their first kiss to this moment, now and forever, she’d finally found where she belonged.

And for Brendan, she was always going to be his first thought in the morning and his last thought at night. She made colors brighter and life worth living, and making love to her was the wildest ride of all. No matter how fast he went, she kept up, holding on, trusting him to take care of her.

And like always, the one stroke needed came without warning. The last push. The final thrust that shattered composure and restraint, leaving them spent and breathless, and then the laughter, from the utter joy of such a feeling.

***

The next morning, they packed and left without a word, taking the back way out again for safety’s sake. He was carrying their luggage, and she was bundled up against the cold. As they approached his car, Harley paused.

“What’s that sound?”

He put the luggage in his trunk and then cocked his head to listen. At first, he didn’t know what she was talking about, and then it dawned on him.

“That’s water, running down from the top of Pope Mountain. Big Falls probably looks like Niagara Falls this morning.”

“That’s a frightening sound. It’s almost a roar,” she said, and then got into the car.

As they were driving away, she thought about the day she’d arrived at the inn. She’d come in the front door, and now as they were leaving, they were sneaking out the back.

“I hope you’re ready for all this,” she said.

“All what, darlin’?”

“To have your bachelor world invaded.”

“Way past ready. I’d say I’m at the impatient stage. I’ve been waiting for you all my life. I didn’t know your name or what you looked like, but I was ready. Am ready,” he said. “We’ll be home soon, and now that you’ve finished all the work for Ray, this is your downtime to heal before you enter the melting pot of Wolf Outen’s world.”

“If he buys the inn,” she said.

“He’ll buy it,” Brendan said, and then braked for a red light.

As they were waiting, Harley’s phone signaled a text. She dug it out of her purse and read the text, then started smiling.

“Good news, I take it,” Brendan said.

“He bought the Serenity Inn. He’ll be in touch.”

“Fantastic! Congrats, honey!”

Harley was still smiling and leaning back in the seat, just enjoying the ride, when she remembered. “You know what I left behind? That darned rental car I never used. Will you remind me to call and deal with that tomorrow? Ray was paying for that.”

He nodded. “No worries. They can come get the keys from you and retrieve it themselves. For now, I just want to get you comfortable and settled in the house.”

She glanced at his profile as he drove, thinking how important he’d become to her, and the thought of putting him in another hit man’s crosshairs was horrifying.

“I hope to God the feds figure out who the boss man is. I don’t want you hurt on my behalf. Ever.”

He gave her a quick glance and frowned. “That’s not how love works for us. We take care of our own. Brendan Pope never got over losing his little Meg. We know, because after she disappeared, there were few entries made in the journal. He never remarried. He lost the best part of himself when he lost her. That’s how a man thinks, Sunshine. That’s how I think of you. We’re going to have a long and happy life together because you will always be first in my heart.”

She sighed. “Message received.”

“Good, because we’re home.”

***

The autopsy on Karen Beaumont was confirmation of what the police suspected. She did die from anaphylactic shock due to an allergy to peanuts, which were found in her system.

The lab at the medical examiner’s office traced the peanut issue to the salad croutons recovered from the scene. They’d been fried in peanut oil before finished off in commercial ovens. And they’d recovered a grocery receipt from the trash listing that same product only four days prior to her death. The purchase had been made with her own credit card, within the hour after leaving her job. But Detective Freeman still wasn’t buying the story, so they sent an investigator from the lab to view security footage from the parking lot of the supermarket to see who was driving Karen’s car and who did the shopping on that day.

Based on the timeline from the receipt, they quickly found her on the footage. Karen arrived alone. Came out and loaded her groceries alone and drove away. The daughter was still in the clear.

But it wasn’t until the full background check on Justine Beaumont came through that Detective Freeman knew he’d been right and took it to Lieutenant Wakefield, his superior.

“Boss, I need to run something by you.”

Wakefield leaned back at his desk. “What’s up?”

“It’s about Karen Beaumont, the woman who died from the peanut allergy. I just found something in the daughter’s background history that concerns me.”

Wakefield sat up and leaned forward. “Like what?”

“She spent two stints in rehab for alcoholism, and during her last stay, one of the doctors became concerned about her violent outbursts and, with the mother’s consent, ran some psychological tests on her. She scored off the charts as a narcissistic psychopath. I think we need to find out what she did that made her father kick her out before we accept this as an accidental death.”

“Do we have his contact information?” Wakefield asked.

“Yes, sir. She gave it—reluctantly, I might add—but at the time, I attributed it to nothing more than family issues. I’m going to phone him now. I’ll let you know what he has to say.”

“Then do it,” Wakefield said.

Freeman went back to his desk, pulled up the notes he had on Justine’s interview, and then called Larry Beaumont.

***

Larry Beaumont was on his way back to his office when his cell phone began to ring. When he saw Dallas PD come up on caller ID, his gut knotted.

“What now?” he muttered, bolted for the office, then shut himself in. “Hello, Larry Beaumont speaking.”

“Mr. Beaumont, I’m Detective Freeman with the Dallas Police Department. I have some news to share with you, and then I will need to ask you some questions. Are you free to speak?”

Larry’s heart was pounding. “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“Your ex-wife, Karen Beaumont, suffered an allergy attack a few days ago and passed away from anaphylactic shock. Peanuts, I believe.”

Larry felt all the blood draining from his face and, for a moment, thought he was going to pass out. “Oh my God, my God. Where was her EpiPen? She always carried one.”

“I’m afraid it happened during a meal at home. We later recovered the pen in her purse and another in her bathroom.”

“Where was our daughter? Where was Justine?”

“She thought her mother was choking on a bite of food and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. The evidence of that act was left in the bruising on her upper torso, so we have no doubt that did occur.”

Larry’s shock turned to horror and then unexpected grief, and he began to weep. “I can’t imagine… I’m so sorry…so sorry. Why didn’t Justine call me to let me know?”

“She refused our offer to notify you, so we assumed she might have chosen to call you herself, although we had indications there had been a falling-out between you and her before she came to live with her mother.”

Freeman heard Beaumont crying and waited a few moments before proceeding. “I’m sorry, sir. I know this must be difficult for you, but I need to know what happened with Justine when she was with you. What happened that caused the problems?”

Larry wiped his eyes and started talking, unaware he was confirming Freeman’s suspicions about Justine Beaumont’s intentions.

“So, she’s always been…you said, unsettled?” Freeman asked.

“Yes, and sometimes completely irrational for no reason other than something didn’t go her way. The last stunt at the bar and grill was it for me. I would have left her in jail and hoped it taught her something, but Karen couldn’t bear the thought. I did give Karen the money to pay off the damages Justine caused, but I kicked my daughter out of the hotel. It wasn’t just her pulling stunts anymore. It was my job on the line and the reputation of the hotel to consider.”

“So, Karen and her daughter were close?”

Larry still didn’t see where this was going and answered honestly. “Not really. The older Justine got, the more she challenged her mother’s authority. It’s why she came to live with me. But in the end, it was her mother who bailed her out of her last mess and took her back to Dallas.” Larry kept crying and talking, as if trying to reassure himself he wasn’t responsible for this. “You know how it goes. Sometimes, you can do everything right in raising a child, and they just don’t respond.”

“One last question,” Freeman said. “Were you aware of her psych evaluation at her last rehab stint?”

“What psych evaluation?” Larry asked.

“Your wife never shared it with you?”

“No. By the time we divorced, we were not on the best of speaking terms.”

Then Freeman told him what they’d learned.

There was a long moment of silence and then Larry’s voice was trembling as he asked, “You think Justine killed her, don’t you? You wouldn’t be asking all this if you didn’t.”

Freeman didn’t answer; he just asked another question. “Did your wife have life insurance or a substantial amount of money? I ask because Justine mentioned they were buying cheap food because they were short of money. Money seemed to be a sticking point for her.”

Larry was sick to his stomach, thinking of all the money he had stashed and how selfish he’d been because he was mad. “I wouldn’t know about insurance policies now. She used to. You’d have to check that for yourself, but money in the bank? No.”

“Okay, Mr. Beaumont, thank you for your time, and again, I’m sorry for your loss. Please do not contact your daughter in any way. Don’t tell her we’ve contacted you. Understand?”

“Understood,” Larry mumbled, then left the office and headed for the penthouse. He was crying before he walked in the door.

***

But this information had opened a new line of inquiry for the Dallas PD. After a discussion with the rest of the team, they began searching for life insurance policies in Karen’s name and found one, for $500,000, payable to her only daughter, Justine Beaumont. But after further research, they also learned that Karen had recently lapsed on payments and the policy was no longer in effect.

It was then that Detective Freeman realized there might still be a way to crack her story. If this was why Karen was killed, and if Justine was unaware of the policy lapse, she just might screw herself. So, he called her to set up an appointment tomorrow, on the pretext of returning her mother’s personal effects.

***

Justine was up by 7:00 a.m., setting the stage for the visit, dressed in worn-out sweats with a hole in the knee, a baggy sweater, and no makeup. She hadn’t washed her hair since her mother’s death. It was her nod to being a grief-stricken daughter.

She’d never seen a dead person before her mother’s untimely demise and was mildly curious as to what happens after someone dies. Did they really go to this heaven place, or do they just roam the earth like a ghost, or disappear forever like they were never here? It was the latter that worried her most, and what drove her to snatch at whatever this life had to offer while she still had the chance.

Even though she’d dressed herself down, she had cleaned and straightened up the house and was calmly waiting for the doorbell to ring.

“Curtains up,” she said, when the police finally arrived. She composed herself and then opened the door, pausing on the threshold for effect as they assessed her demeanor.

Both detectives flashed their badges, and then she stepped aside for them to enter. “This way,” she said, and led the way into the living room and sat.

They chose chairs facing her.

“Good morning, Justine. Thank you for seeing us,” Detective Freeman said. “This is my partner, Detective DePlaine. She is going to go through your mother’s belongings with you, and then you’ll sign off on them, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Justine said, then watched as DePlaine emptied the packet onto the coffee table.

Justine immediately teared up. “Mom’s wedding ring? She hasn’t worn that since their divorce. Why do you have it?”

“I believe it was on a chain around her neck,” DePlaine said.

Justine’s surprise was real. “I had no idea she still had feelings for Dad.”

DePlaine had the checklist. “There’s not a lot else to identify. Her watch and the earrings are the ones she was wearing. If you are satisfied these are hers, I’ll need you to sign here.”

Justine took the offered pen and signed the itemized list. “I don’t know what to do next or how to do it.”

“Well, the coroner has ruled anaphylactic shock as the cause for your mother’s death, related to the peanut contamination,” DePlaine said. Justine frowned. “What peanut contamination? We didn’t have nuts in anything.”

“The salad croutons…apparently, they were deep-fried in peanut oil before being roasted. It was listed in the ingredients on the packaging,” Freeman said.

Justine gasped. “Oh my God. I didn’t think to look. I guess I assumed that if she bought it, she had deemed it safe.”

Neither of them commented or commiserated with her as Freeman shifted the subject. “As soon as the investigation is complete, the body will be released. They’ll call you and ask what mortuary you plan to use so they can have them pick it up.”

“I don’t have any money yet,” she said.

“Yet? Are you coming into some? Your father gave us to understand that your mother came to him for money to pay the damages you caused at Trapper’s Bar and Grill in Jubilee, Kentucky, so she could get you out of jail.”

All of a sudden, she was in defense mode. “Why did you call my father? I told you not to.”

“We needed confirmation on some things that popped up in your background check and—”

Her voice rose a whole octave. “You ran a background check on me? I did nothing wrong!”

“It’s procedure when a person dies at home, unattended by a physician. You were with her. It’s how we clear a case,” DePlaine said.

Freeman could tell Justine was rattled, and pushed. “You have a history of instability. A DUI, two stints in rehab for alcoholism, and then the most recent incident in Kentucky. There’s even a stalking report that was made on you there.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her fingers curled into fists. “Stalking. That’s ridiculous. I never—”

“They have a threatening note taken from the man’s property that has your fingerprints on it, and a list of witnesses who saw your continued harassment for the time you were at the hotel where your father worked, and a statement from the person who filed the report that you’d pulled a knife on him and cut his neck. The complaint is still on file and pending.”

All of a sudden, she was lightheaded and seeing flashes of light before her eyes. “I left town. All that’s over,” she mumbled. “When do I get my mother’s death certificate? I’ll be needing some copies.”

“The Department of State Health Services files the death record, and eventually the mortuary issues copies to the families,” Freeman said. “You have the freedom to ask for as many copies as you need, but extra ones aren’t free. You should be asking your father for help in all this.”

“I don’t talk to him! He doesn’t want me. Nobody wanted me!” she screamed, and then stopped, realizing what she’d just said, and recomposed herself. “Actually, it was Mother’s current boyfriend back then who didn’t want me. It’s why I went to live with Dad. But that boyfriend is gone, and Mom is the one who came to get me when I needed help.”

Neither detective was talking, which made Justine nervous, and she started rambling to fill in the silence for fear of what they’d ask next. “I know I’ll need one copy for Mom’s life insurance policy. I’ll need that money to pay for her funeral and pay for probating her will.”

Freeman frowned. “What life insurance policy? We were given to understand she didn’t have any.”

“No, no, she does! I can show you. It says a copy of a death certificate is required.” Then she leaped up from the sofa and bolted out of the room.

DePlaine arched an eyebrow at Freeman but said nothing, and moments later, Justine was back. “This is her policy,” she said, and handed the file to Freeman and sat down.

Freeman glanced at it. “Oh! This policy! When we have a suspicious death, we always run checks to see if there are existing life insurance policies and which heirs benefit most from the death. I know it sounds terrible, but it’s just procedure. We feel we owe it to the deceased to check off all the boxes. We know for certain that your mother let this policy lapse a few months back. It’s no longer valid.”

Justine froze and then began mumbling and leafing through the policy as if a different answer would fly off the page. “Can’t be. Why would she…stupid bitch…all for nothing…”

Detective Freeman stood as he and DePlaine pulled Justine to her feet. “Justine Beaumont, I’m arresting you for the murder of your mother, Karen Beaumont. You have the right to…”

Justine heard his voice, but the words meant nothing. She was laughing maniacally, and then screaming and spitting rapid-fire invectives at both parents, and blasting threats at both detectives as they walked her out of the house.

***

That same morning, six federal agents walked into the Serenity Inn and asked to speak with Liz Devon.

The moment Liz got the call from the front desk, she bolted for the lobby. It was finally going down. Within moments of her arrival, they asked if Larry Beaumont was on-site. She called Larry’s cell to get his location.

***

Larry’s sleep had been tortured. He was still coming to grasp with the information the Dallas detectives had given him and was slow getting ready for the day. He was finishing up his last cup of coffee when Liz called.

“Hello?”

“Larry, this is Liz. I need a word. Are you in the office or still in the penthouse?”

“Penthouse, but I was just getting ready to leave.”

“I’ll come to you,” she said, and hung up. “We’re going up,” she told the agents and led them to the private elevator.

Nobody was talking. Nothing needed to be said. Everyone in the car knew what was about to go down. When they exited into the foyer, Liz led them to the door and rang the bell.

Larry didn’t bother to look first, but it wouldn’t have mattered.

The six agents already had their badges in hand and were identifying themselves as they walked in.

“Larry Beaumont, you are under arrest on federal charges for theft, fraud, and intent to deceive your employer, Ray Caldwell. Your accomplices, Joe Ellis and Louis Freid, are being arrested as we speak.”

His mouth dropped as they were reading him his rights. The look of satisfaction on Liz Devon’s face punctuated the end of his scam. They took him out in handcuffs.

Liz rode down with them and walked them through the lobby, then watched them walk him out the door. The staff at the front desk were in shock, but they could tell by the look on Liz’s face that this came as no surprise to her. They didn’t ask. They didn’t comment. Word would spread soon enough.

Liz went to her office and sent a blanket memo to the staff divisions that they no longer had a manager and were to come to her for problems, but otherwise carry on.